How colleges have shaped the nation’s economy, communities and opportunities for generations

Brenig Davies

The influence of further education colleges extends far beyond the classroom, shaping the workforce, strengthening communities and widening access across the nation.

For generations, they have equipped people with practical skills, opened doors to employment, and helped communities respond to economic and social change. They prepare future engineers, nurses, technicians, construction workers, digital specialists, entrepreneurs, and others whose knowledge and skills keep Wales moving.

Colleges have become one of Wales’s greatest public assets, combining educational opportunity with economic needs.

The modern further education sector has deep roots. The mechanics’ institutes of the nineteenth century and the technical colleges that followed helped generations acquire the practical knowledge and skills that supported Welsh industry and public life.

The first mechanics’ institute in Wales was established in Swansea in 1826. Mechanics’ institutes followed in Dowlais in 1830, Merthyr in 1837, Pontypridd and Pontypool in 1839, and Newport and Cardiff in 1841.

The Further and Higher Education Act 1992 transformed the sector by giving colleges greater independence and responsibility. In Wales, they responded by widening their curriculum, strengthening partnerships with employers, and becoming increasingly responsive to local and regional needs.

Since devolution, successive Welsh Governments have consistently promoted the importance of further education colleges to Wales’ skills base. The Learning Country (2001) placed lifelong learning at the centre of education policy. Skills That Work for Wales (2008) reinforced the role of colleges in vocational education, apprenticeships and workforce development.

More recently, the Senedd passed the Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022, which helped establish the framework for Medr, the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research, which from 2024 brought colleges, universities, sixth-form colleges, and work-based learning into a more coherent strategic framework. By 2026, the emphasis remained on increasing participation and delivering the Welsh Government’s post-16 education priorities.

Further education has changed much over the past fifty years. Alongside vocational skills qualifications, colleges provide GCSEs, A levels, Access to Higher Education for adults, HNCs and HNDs, and degree programmes with university partners. They also provide literacy and numeracy support, provision for those with additional learning needs, ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and community-based programmes. ESOL courses also play a vital role in helping people from non-English-speaking countries, including immigrants and refugees, adjust to living in Wales.

At its peak, Wales had more than 30 further education colleges, which played a full part in the UK government’s response to dramatic industrial change. Today, 13 large colleges serve every part of the country. Their size enables investment in modern facilities, specialised equipment, and highly skilled staff, helping them respond to economic demands. College estates are marked by modern buildings, workshops and learning areas.

Colleges educate about 127,000 learners each year. Around half of further education learners are adults, underlining the sector’s role in supporting lifelong learning. The range of students is considerable. Some arrive directly from school, while others may have been away from education for many years. Apprentices combine employment with study, while others return to gain qualifications, change careers or acquire new skills, working practices or knowledge.

All of this has placed increasing demands on college management and lecturers over the past two decades, particularly as enrolments have increased and colleges have sought to meet the Government’s goal of increased productivity in the Welsh economy and contribute to reducing socio-economic disparities, while operating with a decreasing budget per student. Nevertheless, colleges have been successful in securing increased funding through bespoke courses for industry and public sector organisations and enrolment fees from overseas students.

Practical experience

Apprenticeships are one of the strongest examples of employer partnerships. Apprentices gain practical experience alongside nationally recognised qualifications, with some apprenticeships extending to degree level.

At the same time, employers recruit and develop employees capable of responding to evolving technologies and economic demands. Colleges encourage and support start-ups and work with voluntary and community organisations. The further education system in the UK has a strong international reputation.

In many areas, colleges rank among the largest local employers. Their economic impact is substantial.

Second chance

A defining characteristic of further education is the principle that learning should never be limited by age or earlier experience.

As another examination results season passes, schools and universities will rightly receive considerable public attention. Equally deserving are the examination results of further education colleges.

Further education has helped shape modern Wales. Its colleges are among the nation’s greatest strengths, quietly preparing skilled people, supporting employers and communities, and offering opportunity at every stage of life.

Brenig Davies worked in further education in Wales for more than thirty years, including senior leadership roles in the sector.

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